Spore's Piracy Problem on Forbes is one of those forays into trying to
evaluate the extent of game piracy, in this case for Spore, by looking at
peer-to-peer statistics. This is particularly interesting in light of the
controversy over Spore's digital rights management, which is upsetting many
gamers in order to theoretically curb piracy, but in spite of anti-piracy
measures described by some as draconian, the game is apparently getting even
more action on bit torrent than one might expect according to Big Champagne, a
firm that analyzes such activity. The article indicates a popular sentiment
among those pirating the game is that they are protesting the DRM in the game,
and it also quotes Brad Wardell on how Stardock has managed to protect its
intellectual property without pissing off its user-base. Thanks nin.

My question is, does other companies spend this much money on protecting their products as game, music and movie companies do on theirs?

A friend showed me a website last week that was selling thousands of different high end knock-off products, everything from watches, shoes, shirt, pants, bags, housewares etc, etc, etc...the list just goes on.

Are these companies going to start making clothes and housewares that can only be worn 5 times before they disintegrate or shut down? All in the name of protecting their wares from piracy, but completely inconveniencing their real customers in the process? When in reality the efforts they make have absolutely no impact on the piraters at all, but only legit customers

While this makes sense as an analogy in a consumer's mind, it is not the same thing from a developer's mind. What a developer sees this analogy relating to is closer to someone writing a Tetris clone, or something. The Original Clothes manufacturer can claim higher craftsmanship etc over the knockoffs. Pirating a Game gives you an "exact" copy of the original work, closer to sticking that hand-bag in a Star Trek replicator and getting an exact copy down to the stitch.

Game developers would likely claim an analogy that DRM is closer akin to the EAS tags on clothing in department stores that prevent customers from walking out the door with it. It keeps honest people honest by discouraging them from walking off with the products, but EAS tags pose little discouragement to someone determined to steal the object.

/*New and stirring things are belittled because if they are not belittled, the humiliating question arises, ``Why then are you not taking part in them?'' -H.G. Wells*/